The beauty models proposed by the media and the world of fashion help to promote theideal of thinness that more and more assumes an absolute value to achieve success and feel made. We are led to believe that everyone, if we wanted, could reach those models and that perfection that we find in every magazine.
Although the images are manipulated through graphics programs and are therefore artificial representations built ad hoc, they are perceived as natural and real. These beauty models are internalized as prototypes, with which a comparison is tended in order to judge our appearance.
Many research underline that these idealized and unrealistic images proposed by the media have a negative effect on the body image and increase thedissatisfaction with one’s body.
Since the latter has been identified as a risk factor for the eating disordersInternationally, universal prevention strategies that can be applied in a simple and rapid way, in an attempt to prevent women, body dissatisfaction resulting from the media exposure to certain ideals of beauty are looking for international level.
Some countries such as Israel, France and Australia have introduced regulations that suggest or require to apply it on any digitally modified image. The rational at the basis of this social policy is that the written warning of a graphic manipulation, placed next to each photo, highlights the non -real aspect of that model and that therefore we perceive this target, inappropriate for a comparison.
Is it reasonable to think that the simple words affixed to the altered images improved by graphics programs can limit the comparison and therefore reduce body dissatisfaction?
A recent study (B. Bury et al., 2016) conducted on a sample of 280 Australian girls between 18 and 30 years old, had as its objective to check whether the presentation of a short information message about the digital alteration of the images, Before The vision of some advertisements on Fashion Magazine could cancel inappropriate mental comparisons and preserve body satisfaction. The hypothesis was that the information message would reduce the perceived realism of certain images and consequently, the comparison based on appearance.
The 11 images shown to the girls were selected by the most popular fashion magazines (Cleo, Marie Claire And Vogue) And they portrayed models that represent the ideal of beauty based on thinness, with at least three quarters of the visible body.
The results clearly show that warnings about the digital modifications of advertising are not able to reduce the levels of perceived realism, social comparison or body dissatisfaction.
The results also emerges that the girls with the tendency to frequently operate social comparisons, evaluate the images of the models (despite the preliminary message) as more realistic than women who have a lower tendency to social comparison.
In conclusion, to date, no effective universal prevention measure has been identified in contrasting and reducing the negative effects of exposure to media images.
Perhaps the commitment in order to protect the body image should be directed not so much on a universal prevention, as on an arduous change in the representation of the body of women in the media.
